1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to skating equipment but more particularly to equipment used in teaching or training skaters.
2. Background of the Invention
There are a number of devices that have been developed over the years to help people, young and old, to learn how to skate, usually ice skating, but in recent years patent applications have expanded their claims to cover the increasing poplularity of inline skating. For example U.S. Pat. No. 3,235,254 by Robson and U.S. Pat. No. 5,120,286 by Twohig disclose devices aimed at beginners, there are of course many more such devices which do not apply to the specific function of the invention herein described. In a related field, ice hockey requires for players to have a quick start, strong accelerations and fast ongoing speed. To achieve that, it is important for the ankles to rotate a certain way and the legs to bend and to push at a certain angle and the center of gravity of the body to be at a certain point which can only be achieved if the torso is angled in a certain way. The optimal parameters for skating are known to those who study the sport but teaching and training players to adopt and maintain that optimal posture is the key to quick and efficient training and, as of now, there are no tools that can adequately do that.
Some inventions aspire at teaching optimal skating for hockey such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,373 by Walker which is a static exercise machine for skaters and is not meant for use on an ice surface but rather as part of a training program in a gym or such place. U.S. Pat. No. 5,911,650 also discloses a static training machine for use in a gym or such place and U.S. Pat. No. 6,090,015 is mostly concerned with practicing turns for skaters and skiers with the machine base being static and the users being able to rotate around it by leaning on a rotating boom arm. Although strength training in general and skate simulation machine such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,911,650 are useful in the training process, nothing beats actual training on the actual playing field with the actual footwear and equipment to really train the muscle groups and train the neuro-muscular system of an athlete.
Althought some of the prior art appears to have common elements such as sternum support and adjustable vertical posts, the nature and operation of the device herein disclosed is substantially different from the prior art of record.